Chapter 164: The Formidable Hu Yanzhen

With that huge sound, several people sprinted from afar, and at the head was Hu Yanzhen, whom we had seen at the Soul Master Competition.

Earlier, Yang Xiong's massive battle with the White-Eyed Demon Tiger King had already left the scene unrecognizable, even the corpses of the four Elephant Armor Sect members were unrecognizable.

Besides Hu Yanzhen, the arrivals included a Soul Douluo of the Elephant Armor Sect, three Soul Saints, and the Hu Yanli we met at the Soul Master Competition.

Hu Yanzhen roared, "Little brat of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, hand over the soul bone quickly, or I'll make sure you die without a burial place."

Hu Yanzhen's eyes were sharp; after a glance at the surroundings he knew Yang Xiong had obtained a premium Right Arm Soul Bone.

Yang Xiong sneered, "What's that, Sect Leader Hu Yan? Do you think our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect is easy to bully?"

Hu Yanzhen snorted coldly, "You still‑wet‑nosed brat, do you think you can leave here today unscathed?"

Clearly, Hu Yanzhen and the others looked down on Yang Xiong; they were several masters, and even though they sensed Yang Xiong had reached the Soul Emperor Realm, he was still a bit weaker compared to them.

Hu Yanzhen radiated a terrifying aura; truly a top Defense System Soul Douluo, and purely in terms of power he had already attained Title Douluo level.

Yang Xiong's face showed a hint of seriousness; if it were just Hu Yanzhen he wouldn't fear, but now faced with many opponents, it became a bit troublesome.

But all his own masters had already left; otherwise he couldn't have let Hu Yanzhen run rampant.

Yang Xiong didn't hesitate, instantly teleporting a hundred meters away, and with a disdainful smile said, "The Elephant Armor Sect are just a bunch of bullies; after today's parting, our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect will definitely reclaim today's arena."

Hu Yanzhen shouted angrily, "How daring! If you run away today, where will the Elephant Armor Sect's reputation go?"

Yang Xiong felt an immense pressure from afar, as if the ground itself were being crushed—that's the Gravity Control of a Power Type Soul Douluo.

Originally Hu Yanzhen was confident in his Gravity Control, but Yang Xiong seemed completely unaffected and simply sprinted away.

The Elephant Armor Sect members erupted in anger, all chasing Yang Xiong, looking as if they wouldn't stop until they killed him.

Unfortunately, though Hu Yanzhen was powerful, speed-wise he had no advantage over Yang Xiong and even seemed slightly at a disadvantage.

Yang Xiong paced briskly through Sunset Forest, neither shaking off the pursuit nor letting the Elephant Armor Sect close in, feeling rather like walking a dog.

Hu Yanzhen and his group cursed from behind while refusing to give up the chase on Yang Xiong.

This left Yang Xiong speechless; the Elephant Armor Sect were indeed dim‑witted brutes, and they didn't even consider that if he were merely a simple Soul Emperor, moving through Sunset Forest would be like walking on flat ground.

Of course, the Elephant Armor Sect arrived later and hadn't seen Yang Xiong's martial soul or soul rings, which is why they chased so enthusiastically.

For some unknown reason Yang Xiong's speed suddenly slowed, and just as the Elephant Armor Sect thought they were about to catch him, his figure flickered and he instantly teleported beside Hu Yanli.

Yang Xiong's muscles seemed to solidify, and he delivered a punch at Hu Yanli that seemed to contain endless force—his self‑created soul skill, Crushing Bone Fist.

The Elephant Armor Sect were shocked; they didn't expect Yang Xiong, pursued by so many, to counterattack, especially with such a seemingly overwhelming blow that could shatter Hu Yanli.

The Soul Douluo protecting Hu Yanli was also startled, instantly transforming into a massive diamond mammoth, its fifth soul ring flashing—its Fifth Soul Skill, Mammoth Giant Sword, apparently to encircle and rescue.

But Yang Xiong ignored all that and slammed a full‑power punch at Hu Yanli.

At the crucial moment Hu Yanli gritted his teeth, seemingly aware that Yang Xiong's strike was unavoidable; his fourth soul ring flashed, activating his Fourth Soul Skill, Thousand‑Weight Guidance, as the massive diamond mammoth instantly blocked before him.

Yet Yang Xiong's blow was so forceful it shattered Hu Yanli's Thousand‑Weight Guidance, smashing straight into Hu Yanli.

But at the last moment, Hu Yanli's head emitted a flash of light, colliding hard with Yang Xiong's fist.

Even so, Hu Yanli was blasted away by Yang Xiong, spitting blood, clearly badly injured.

At that moment, the Soul Douluo's Fifth Soul Skill, Mammoth Giant Sword, closed in on Yang Xiong; even though his hands clawed at the sword, endless power surged from it, hurling him over ten meters.

Yang Xiong sneered, "Hu Yanli, you should be grateful that the Head Soul Bone saved your life; I hope you have such luck next time."

At that instant, a massive pressure descended from the sky—Hu Yanzhen's full‑force attack—clearly enraged, since Yang Xiong's earlier blow had nearly taken his grandson's life.

Yang Xiong, however, sneered and turned to run.

Someone like Hu Yanzhen, a slow‑moving simpleton, and this long‑range pressure meant nothing to Yang Xiong.

Seeing Hu Yanli gravely wounded, Hu Yanzhen became even more unwilling to spare Yang Xiong.

After the group wandered around Sunset Forest for three or four hours.

At that moment, a massive Broken Soul Gun fell from the sky, instantly blocking Hu Yanzhen and his party.

Hu Yanzhen erupted, "Yang Wudi, what are you trying to do? Do you, the Po Yi Zu, also intend to oppose my Elephant Armor Sect?"

Yang Wudi shouted angrily, "Your Elephant Armor Sect is a bunch of rats, a group of Soul Douluo chasing a child—hardly the bearing of a great sect."

"Especially you, Hu Yanzhen, don't think that being backed by the Spirit Hall gives you license to act recklessly; what's the point of arguing with a Spirit Hall lackey like you?"

Hu Yanzhen's face turned ashen at those words, "Fine, Yang Wudi, you won't leave safely today; I'll see what right you have to speak like that."

Yang Wudi ignored Hu Yanzhen and turned to Yang Xiong, "Xiao Xiongzi, you always brag about being strong—how did you end up chased by the rat‑like Elephant Armor Sect?"

Yang Xiong smiled, "Just playing with them; otherwise they wouldn't have taken the bait."

Knowing he alone could barely handle so many from the Elephant Armor Sect, Yang Xiong led them in circles around Sunset Forest, deliberately edging toward the Ice‑Fire Dual Instrument Eye while covertly signaling Yang Wudi.

As long as Yang Wudi is present, the combined strength of Yang Wudi and Yang Xiong could easily keep the entire Elephant Armor Sect in check.

Yang Wudi said, "What's the plan? They're five people; if I want to deal with Hu Yanzhen, I doubt I can win quickly."

Yang Xiong replied casually, "Why isn't Senior Dugu Bo out? He should be with you."

Yang Wudi raised an eyebrow, "You still dare mention Dugu Bo? That Old Poison despises you, thrilled to see you chased, so how could he help you?"

Yang Xiong was speechless; Dugu Bo was being overly grudging—wasn't it just over some Immortal Herb? He even asked Yang Wudi to cure his toxin and gave him a soul bone.

"Senior Yang, we need to keep all these people here; I'll handle Hu Yanzhen, you take the others—should be no problem!"

Yang Wudi snorted coldly, "You're looking down on them; what's the point of a few minnows fighting? Hu Yanzhen, that old fool, does have some strength—his defense likely already reached Title Douluo level. No problem for you?"

Yang Xiong laughed, "Let's try it; I want to see this so‑called world's number one defense."

After saying that, Yang Xiong strode toward Hu Yanzhen, "Old fool, the chase was fun, but your Elephant Armor Sect will be annihilated here today."

Yang Wudi, gripping the Broken Soul Gun, moved toward the others, seeming intent on capturing everyone at once.

Hu Yanzhen erupted, "You yellow‑mouth brat, you dare disrespect my noble Elephant Armor Sect; today I will tear you to pieces to vent my hatred."

Yang Xiong's mouth curled into a smile, "Just a frog at the bottom of a well; I'll show you that there's a sky beyond the sky."

With that, Yang Xiong instantly summoned his martial soul and soul rings, his body turning blood‑red, and displaying two yellow, one purple, two black, and one red soul rings.

When Yang Xiong's blood‑red soul ring appeared, everyone gasped, feeling immense pressure; even Hu Yanzhen's face grew grave, clearly aware of the significance of the Hundred‑Thousand‑Year Soul Ring.

Hu Yanzhen roared, a massive diamond mammoth merging with him, while two yellow, two purple, and four black soul rings manifested.

Yang Xiong said nothing, rushed straight at Hu Yanzhen, his hands seemingly wielding endless power, a pair of claws forcibly seized Hu Yanzhen.

But Hu Yanzhen was not afraid at all; after all, he was more than twenty levels higher than Yang Xiong, and he was extremely confident in his own defense.

In an instant, Yang Xiong's claws collided with Hu Yanzhen's fist; Hu Yanzhen remained completely still, while Yang Xiong felt a massive force on his hands and was knocked back dozens of meters.

At that moment Yang Xiong finally understood why Hu Yanzhen is called the world's number‑one defense; his whole body was as hard as refined iron, terrifyingly rigid, and in terms of strength he was probably already stronger than a newly appointed Title Douluo.

Yang Xiong did not hesitate, directly using the Fourth Soul Skill: Dragon Elephant Body, and his whole body instantly became bulkier, with a great boost to both strength and defense.

At the same time, all three External Soul Bones on his body manifested, he was clad in thick armor, his hands covered with scale‑like plating, and his five fingers sprouted extremely sharp claws.

Hu Yanzhen let out a cold snort, "Kid, you have a lot of little tricks; let me see what gives you the right to spout such boasts."

Hu Yanzhen charged at Yang Xiong, the ground seemed to tremble, as if he himself possessed boundless power.

Yang Xiong said nothing, and with all his might grabbed Hu Yanzhen; the Ice Fire Dragon Claw at that instant unleashed its full power.

But Hu Yanzhen barreled forward like a massive elephant, and Yang Xiong was again forced back several meters; the gap in strength between them was still huge, and the disparity in soul power even greater.

But Yang Xiong could no longer care about any of that; he became wildly agitated, moving at blistering speed to attack Hu Yanzhen.

Soon, in just a few minutes, the two had clashed countless times, fists, claws, and bodies colliding repeatedly, as if it were a pure contest of strength.

In comparison, Yang Xiong looked far worse, repeatedly forced back by Hu Yanzhen, his hands throbbing with pain as if struck by massive force, feeling extremely sore.

Yet Yang Xiong's attacks seemed to have no effect on Hu Yanzhen; even the Ice Fire Dragon Claw could not breach his defense, leaving only a few faint scratches on his body.

It was clear that Hu Yanzhen had also undergone an extremely brutal Body Tempering; his physical quality was the strongest among the Soul Douluo Yang Xiong had ever seen, even far surpassing Niu Gao, essentially reaching the pinnacle of defense.

Besides Yang Xiong, Yang Wudi also fought alongside the other members of the Elephant Armor Sect, and the whole process seemed effortless.

(End of Chapter)